Arctia caja (Linnaeus, 1758)

Host plants:
The caterpillar lives polyphagous on herbs such as Urtica and low shrubs. Oviposition takes place often higher above ground on leaves of sallow and other woody plants, where the young caterpillars often live sociable in the first instar.

Habitat:
Arctia caja colonizes nearly all habitat types that are not entirely covered by dense forest and are not over-exploited such as tall herb communities, forest clearings and edges, clearcuts, borders of rivers, fens and alpine pastures up to about 1800m above sea level. It shows a certain preference for humid and cool habitats. In urban areas Arctia caja can be observed only rarely nowadays. The moths avoid very hot and dry, low growing habitats, but seems on the other hand to be able to settle nitrogen-rich Urtica stocks and also in quite grove-dominated sites.

Life cycle:
Oviposition takes most often place on lower sides of leaves, often in bushes or small trees. In the autumn the larva is commonly beaten out of the herb layer and from bushes. Hibernation takes place as a young caterpillar which is mature in June or July. The moths fly mostly from July to August.

Endangerment: regionally endangered or decreasing

Endangerment factors:
Arctia caja is locally declining significantly, but overall still not seriously threatened because of its ability to settle in nutrient-rich environments.

Remarks:
Arctia caja ranges from Spain across almost whole Europe until well into east Asia. It is also found in North America (holarctic distribution pattern).